Of Wizards and Elves
by Tamiamus
Summary: When Harry Potter is six he is whisked away to Rivendell by a burst of accidental magic. How will growing up as Lord Elrond's foster son change his time at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
1. Of Pain and Accidental Apperation

Title: Of Wizards and Elves

Author: Tamiamus

Rating: FR-16

Beta: Tals

Summary: When Harry Potter is six he is whisked away to Rivendell by a burst of accidental magic. How will growing up as Lord Elrond's foster son change his time at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Lord of the Rings is owned by Tolkien and his estate. I only play with them for a while before giving them back unharmed. No money is being made from this.

Warnings: Child abuse, possible slash pairing much later in the story.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Pain, that was all he could feel. Even the darkness of the cupboard was unable to distract him, though he had always hated it. The feeling of being trapped was one the little boy was very well acquainted with, since he had spent a great deal of his life locked up in the small space under the stairs. But even though he was used to it, he still hated the darkness, the loneliness and the smallness of his 'room'. This day however even the much loathed cupboard was not enough to penetrate through his haze of agony.

The boy laying on an old, thin mattress looked no older than four, though in reality he had just turned six. His green eyes were glazed with pain and his body was frightfully thin, he was in fact so thin that you could easily count everyone of his ribs. He wore old clothing easily five sizes too big for him and the clothes were not only dirty but also drenched with the blood that steadily left his body from the gashes his uncle's belt had left all over his back. The boy's left ankle was swollen in a way that left no doubt that it was in fact broken, as well as some of his ribs and his right arm. A bloody wound on his shoulder, caused by a kitchen knife also contributed to his weakened state.

The small boy in the cupboard shuddered as he heard his uncle descend the stair, hoping that he would not decide to punish him further for not doing his chores.

After a few minutes of tense waiting Harry let out a sigh of relief; it seemed that his uncle would keep him locked in the cupboard without food and water as punishment for being 'freakish' instead of hauling him out by his hair and beating him again.

Harry wasn't even sure he could stand, much less take another beating without fainting, and he knew how angry uncle Vernon would get whenever he fainted. His uncle would say that he did it on purpose just to escape his rightful punishment and then he would start over again. Harry tried to move into a more comfortable position and winced when he left foot came into contact with the wall. He couldn't understand why his family hated him so much, all he ever wanted was to be loved, just like his aunt Petunia and his uncle Vernon loved their son Dudley. They never beat him, no matter what he did, and he never had any chores and he always got enough to eat, in fact he ate so much that even though he, like Harry, was only six years old, aunt Petunia had to buy his clothes in the twelve year old section of the store.

When Harry had asked why they didn't treat him like they did Dudley, Petunia had smacked him over the head with her frying pan and screeched that he was not their son, but a burden left to them when his freaky parents had gotten themselves killed, and that no one could possibly love someone as abnormal as him. She had then told him that not even his own parents had loved him, since they had after all left him by dying.

At the time Harry hadn't understood the word 'abnormal' since he had only been three years old, but he had learned that he was not their son and that they could never love him. This revelation had been very hard for Harry and he had cried himself to sleep for almost a month, wishing that he had parents who loved him and would take him away from the Dursley's.

Now, three years later he had long since given up on being rescued from the Dursley's. He had learned, in the past years, that he had no way of escaping his family, no one to help him. This lesson was a hard one, as the one time he had actually tried to get help, by telling a kinder garden teacher about his home life, she had not only refused to believe him, but had told his aunt and uncle about his accusations. The very next day he was removed from the kinder garden and punished severely for his 'lies' and for trying to badmouth the Dursley's. He still had the scars from that awful night, in which he had gained three broken ribs, a concussion and bloody gashes on his back.

As Harry stared into the dark and heard his family laugh and talk at the dinner table, he felt everyone of his wounds and broken bones throbbing with pain. While he was familiar with it, the dizziness and the strange fuzziness of his vision alarmed him. He felt the way his life slowly drained away as his blood continuously seeped from his wounds. His limbs had lost all feeling and while this helped alleviate the pain, it still scared him. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt his body slowly cooling down and he shortly contemplated crying out for help; surely his family would help him if he was dying.

Just as he had decided to call out he heard them move out of the kitchen and go up the stairs to their bedrooms. He tried to yell for them, but all he managed was a tired squeak that could not penetrate the cupboard and was not heard by any of them. Fear descended on him then; he was dying, a little more for each heartbeat that brought fresh blood seeping from his many wounds, and he was scared, more frightened than he had ever been before. He didn't want to die, he knew that his life was far from perfect, in fact it was more often than not agonizing and filled with disappointment, fear, sadness and hopelessness, but it was still life.

Harry tried to get up to bang on the cupboard door, but he could not even raise his head. A new wave of dizziness assaulted him and he could feel by the way his heartbeat had slowed down that it would soon stop altogether. Another thought came to him then, if he had to die, and by the way things looked right now, it seemed impossible for him to survive the night, and even if he did, there was no guarantee that his family would check on him come morning, he didn't want to die in his cupboard. Not here where he had spent so much time, being locked in for days at a time without food nor water, where he had been thrown in after a beating, where the walls and floor was stained with his old blood. No, if he had to die he wanted to be somewhere beautiful, somewhere peaceful, somewhere untainted by his memories and the cruelty of his family.

As he lay gasping for breath that was increasingly difficult to catch, he wished with all his might to be somewhere else; any where but here. If survival was too much to ask for then at least let him die somewhere beautiful.

Harry closed his eyes tiredly when he felt something strange, suddenly his body tingled all over and a strange pressure was building inside of him. He tried to catch his breath but found it impossible. The pressure built and he felt like his very life was being squeezed out of him. He kept his eyes closed as a pained scream worked its way out of his throat. The thought that uncle Vernon would be angry for him waking his family briefly crossed his mind before his whole world became ice cold and blazing hot at the same time as it turned blindingly white and suffocatingly black.

When Harry regained his senses the first thing that came back to him was the sharp and throbbing pain no longer masked by the numb sensation of his limbs. Then he felt the ground underneath him, it didn't feel like his old mattress but like leaves on the ground. A gentle wind blew his hair from his face and he heard birds chirping happily somewhere close by.

He opened his eyes cautiously and stared in wonder at the scenery around him, he was in a beautiful wood, with autumn leaves scattered on the ground and sunlight flooding down from a cloudless blue sky. His first thought was that he most be in heaven, even though Petunia insisted that he would go to hell because of his freakishness. But then why would he be in pain if this was really heaven? Surely pain had no place in heaven.

'Maybe... I did wish to be somewhere else... Maybe my wish came true?' He thought as he looked around as much as he could without moving too much. He sighed contentedly and a small smile appeared on his face despite the pain he was in; this place was truly beautiful and he thought it was a nice place to die in.

He briefly wondered what the Dursley's would think when they opened the cupboard in the morning, or maybe the day after and found him gone. They would probably be glad that they didn't have to pay for his funeral, or answer any questions about his demise. Of course the would probably not have paid for a funeral even if they had found him dead in the cupboard; they would probably have buried him in the garden in the dead of night, claiming that he had run away.

Harry didn't know how long he had been in the forest, just looking at the trees above him and listening to the birds chirping, when he heard voices coming from the north "En, Khila amin" "Mani naa ta?" Soon Harry heard hurried footsteps coming his way, and closed his eyes, he didn't want anyone around to find him, in his experience people usually led to pain and all he wanted was to die in peace.

When he opened his eyes again there where three men standing over him, all of them looking shocked and worried. Two of them were obviously twins, they looked like mirror images of each other. Both had long straight, black hair, cascading down to the middle of their backs, something his aunt would have frowned upon, the third man also had long hair, but his was almost golden in color. They all spoke at once, sounding agitated and Harry almost closed his eyes again, when he noticed their ears. They were pointy, like he imagined an elf's ears to be, but that couldn't be, elves didn't exist.

He watched them tiredly as they spoke in a language he couldn't understand, then one of the men, or elves? left running quickly into the woods while the two others, the golden haired one and one of the twins, bent down to him. He flinched in fear and tried to move away from them, but was unable to do so as another wave of dizziness came over him. The golden haired one said something to him in that funny sounding language, a question by the sound of his voice, and reached for his uninjured shoulder. Harry tried to focus his vision that had suddenly gone fuzzy around the edges, while his body felt like it was floating away from him. The last thing he heard before the darkness enveloped him, was one of the elves talking to him in that strange language, sounding alarmed.


	2. Of Healing

Title: Of Wizards and Elves

Author: Tamiamus

Rating: FR-16

Beta: Tals

Summary: When Harry Potter is six he is whisked away to Rivendell by a burst of accidental magic. How will growing up as Lord Elrond's foster son change his time at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Lord of the Rings is owned by Tolkien and his estate. I only play with them for a while before giving them back unharmed. No money is being made from this.

"blah" talking.

'blah' thinking.

"_blah_" elven language.

Warnings: Child abuse, possible slash pairing much later in the story.

**CHAPTER TWO**

Harry slowly returned to consciousness. For a moment he thought he was still locked up in his cupboard, and that the forest and the elves had all been nothing but his own pained and fevered mind's imagination. However even without opening his eyes he knew this was not so, since, for the first time ever he felt a soft bed under him and a warm, comfortable blanket covering his body. The pain that had ravaged his body for the two days he had spent locked in the tiny cupboard was all but gone, leaving only a slightly achy feeling in his body.

He heard soft footsteps coming at him and stiffened reflexively, waiting for the yelling or the beating that was sure to follow. When the footsteps stopped in front of the bed he was lying in, the only action its owner took was to stroke the hair gently from his face and tuck the blanket in under him.

Harry cautiously opened his eyes and gasped. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood by his bed, smiling down at him. She had long black hair and pointy ears, her face looked like that of an impossibly perfect china doll and her blue eyes were filled with tenderness. She looked at him the same way he sometimes imagined his mother would have looked at him when he was a baby.

Then he noticed the room he was in, it had white walls and light furniture, and the bed he was lying in was even bigger than his aunt's and uncle's. He also thought it most be much softer, though he had never lain on his relatives bed so he had nothing to compare with. Sunlight streamed in from the large, strangely shaped windows, though they couldn't really be called windows, since there was no glass in them. All in all it was the most beautiful room Harry had ever seen.

Arwen Undumiel smiled down at the young child lying in the bed. He looked much better now than he had five days ago when her twin brothers Elladan and Elrohir as well as Glorfindel had gotten all of the 'Last Homely House' in an uproar, when they had arrived with a half dead child in their midst. The child had been grievously wounded and it took all of her father Elrond's considerable power to heal the poor boy. For two days it had been uncertain whether or not the boy would survive his wounds but on the third day her father had finally been able to stabilize him. After much debate it had been decided that they would also remove the many scars that marred the boy's skin so he would not be reminded of his injuries everytime he looked into a mirror. Another consideration was that so much scar tissue would also impede his movements.

And so the boy whom she looked at was much changed from the bloody, pale and scar riddled child whom she had first seen five days ago. This little child was still much to small for his age, in fact he looked more like a 4 year old than the six years her father had said when he had examined the boy. He was frightfully skinny though that would be remedied with a few hearty meals, the sun would take away the pallor of his skin, but to change the fearful look in his green eyes would take time and love and care.

Arwen sat down on his bed carefully and slowly as not to frighten the boy, then she reached out and stroked his hair again, hiding a frown when she felt him stiffen at the contact. 'Someone has treated this child poorly for him to fear all human or elven touch. But that much is apparent from his injuries as well. _Adar _said the scars dated back at least four years. By the Valar, someone has hurt the poor child bad enough to leave scars when he was no more than 2 seasons old.'Arwen thought as she kept up the rhythmic strokes on the boy's hair. She smiled when the boy slowly began to relax and his formerly erratic breathing changed into that of a person asleep.

Her brothers had been outraged by the boy's condition, in fact all of the elves had been. The mere thought of harming a child was abhorrent to elves, who paid for their longevity with a very low birth rate. Since children so seldom were borne to the elves, they treasured them all the more. An elf would rather die than harm a child, oh they might scold him or her if the child was up to mischief, might even yell in cases of great fear or stress, but never would an elf raise his hand to a child. Glorfindel had been even more incensed than the others since he had recognized the poor, half dead child as the other half of his soul.

All elves had a soul mate, someone who would make them complete, and when they were faced with this person they would instantly recognize him or her. Age, race or gender did not matter in the cases of soul mates, there was only one for every elf and in many cases an elf would not find this person. This was either due to distance or that the person had lived and died long before the elf was able to find him or her. This did not mean that an elf who did not find his soul mate was doomed to spend the rest of his life alone and without love, in fact many elves never found their soul mates and lived perfectly happy lives without them.

But in cases like Glorfindel's who had found and recognized his soul mate, he would never be truly happy before he had bonded with him. While the boy was still too young for him to even begin to think about courting him, and would be for years to come, the fact that someone had hurt him was more than Glorfindel could tolerate.

When Harry awoke next, the beautiful woman had been replaced by a dark haired serious looking man, or elf, really. The elf placed both his hands on Harry's temple, making the boy flinch with the suddenness of his movements. Harry barely had time to calm his racing heart and convincing himself that no, the elf wouldn't hurt him, before something strange happened.

The skin under the elf's hands started to tingle and these tingles slowly wound their way inside of his head. The strange sensation intensified and Harry felt as though his head would explode, it felt so filled up with the tingles. Strangely enough it didn't hurt at all. Suddenly he was assaulted by a weightless feeling and the edges of his vision turned white. Harry barely managed to gasp as he felt himself losing consciousness.

Elrond smiled as he felt the magic he had just performed on the child take hold. After having spend the last five days alternately healing his wounds and getting rid of his scars he was quite exhausted. Never the less, he had felt it paramount to make sure the child would be able to understand the elven language so he would not be more distressed and frightened by being in a new place than necessary. The magic to allow the child to understand their language had been complex and tiring, but the benefit for the child more than made up for his own fatigued state. The boy would probably sleep for a few days while his body adapted itself to all the magic that had gone into healing it and removing the scars, but Lord Elrond was glad to note that the boy would have no lasting physical signs of his abuse.

Strangely enough there had been one scar that had refused all his efforts to remove it; the lightning bolt shaped scar on the child's forehead was still visible through the boy's black, unruly hair. This scar had obviously been the result of some foul curse cast upon the child and Elrond wondered who would use such a curse on a young child. He doubted that those who had been responsible for the rest of the boy's scars and wounds had been behind that particular scar since none of the others had been caused by magic. He would have to ask Lady Galadriel if she had seen anything about the boy and how he got the scar in her mirror the next time he visited Lothlorien.

Three days later the boy finally showed signs of waking. Lord Elrond had already decided that he would take the child into his care and raise him as a son. When Arwen came to him and told him that the boy would wake up within minutes, he dropped the report he had been working on and quickly made his way to the room the child had been placed in. Elrond had barely been in the room more than five minutes before those startling green eyes opened and the boy glanced fearfully at him, his daughter Arwen and the unfamiliar room. Arwen sat down on the boy's bed and smiled gently at him.

"_Hush child, you are in no danger here. I am Arwen and this is my Adar (Father) Elrond. You were brought here so that we could heal your wounds. I promise you that no harm will come to you in this place."_

Harry's eyes widened when he not only realized that the language the woman, Arwen spoke was one he had never heard before, but that he in fact had understood every word she had said. He was even more shocked when his answer, a question of where he was, came out of his mouth in the same, strangely melodious language. 'Rivendell? Imladriss? what a strange name, and why would one place be called by two different names?' He wondered, then his thoughts turned back to the mystery at hand.

'How is that possible, I've never learned the language, never heard it before. How could I possibly be able to speak and understand it?'.

Apparently the man, or rather elf, Elrond interpreted his facial expression correctly and answered his question in the same language.

"_I have performed a spell on you that allows you to understand us. I did this so you would not be so alarmed by your presence in an unfamiliar environment. What is your name, child?_"

Harry paled when he heard the word 'spell'. Magic was not spoken of in the Dursley home, not ever. Even Dudley was yelled at id he as much as said the 'M-word' and the Dursleys hardly ever yelled at their precious son. Harry had always thought that magic might really exist, since it would go a long way to explain some of the strange thing that sometimes happened around him. Once, when his aunt had cut his hair down to less than half and inch, it had grown back within a night. And the time Dudley had deliberately crushed the roses Harry had been tending to get him punished by his uncle, the roses had sprung back up, unharmed almost immediately. Of course everytime these things happened Harry was punished harshly for his 'freakishness', even though he had not done anything. Consequently even though Harry suspected magic might be the explanation, he was frightened by the mere mention of it since it always lead to pain for him.

That this Elrond spoke so casually of it was both frightening and liberating for Harry. His first response was fear, but when he thought about it a little hope started to make its way into his heart. If magic really was so casually spoken of maybe they wouldn't punish him when strange stuff happened.

Of course Arwen had said that he would not be harmed, but he had never been known anything but life at the Dursleys, so he didn't know if he could trust that statement, no matter how much he wished it to be true.

"_I... my name is Harry, sir, Harry Potter. I am sorry to be such a bother to you, I feel much better now, Thank you, so I should probably leave soon?"_

Harry flushed miserably, his body still felt stiff, and lying in a bed, a real bed, for the first time in his life felt better than he had ever imagined. The two elves seemed very nice and hadn't threatened him or hurt him yet, but he knew better than to overstay his welcome. He remembered how he had come to be here, well not in this room, but in the forest, and doubted that he would be able to find his way back again. Then again the chance to live without he Dursleys was very uplifting. Even if he didn't know where to go or how to survive. He wasn't too worried, surely anything was better than Privet Drive No. Four and his relatives.

"_You wish to leave? Of course if you do not want to stay among us, we will not force you. But I would rather see you stay here since the world can be a dangerous place for someone as young as you to wander alone. In fact I had hoped to foster you myself. My own children, Arwen and the twins Elladan and Elrohir are grown, and I would like to raise a child again. You would make a fine son, young Harry." _

Harry stared incredulous at Elrond, the elf actually wanted him to be his son? Harry had always known that the Dursleys didn't want him. They had always told him that he was a burden and a freak and that no one would ever love him or want him. No one at Privet Drive had ever shown interest in him either, so the thought of someone actually wanting him was completely foreign. Then he thought of the strange things, that always happened around him. Elrond might not mind his own magic, but surely he would not want to cope with Harry's strangeness.

"_I, you want me to be your s...son? Really? But, no, you don't understand, you wouldn't want someone like me. Sometimes things happen, even if I don't mean them to, strange things, and I... I think it's magic" _

The last word was barely louder than a whisper, and only due to their elven hearing did Arwen and Elrond catch the word. Elrond frowned, surely the boy did not think they would forsake him merely because he was an _Istar _(wizard), though he was young to show signs of magic already. Yet another thing he would have to ask Galadriel about. Obviously whatever had happened to the child in his previous home had made him leery of magic. Whoever had taken care of him had probably not been too fond of it and had, by the looks of it, punished him for his 'strangeness'.

Elrond quickly reassured Harry that he did not mind him being an Istar, and that he did indeed want to foster him. After having convinced Harry of his words, a process that took almost half an hour, Elrond sat down on the bed and started to tell his new son about Imladris while stroking the boy's hair.

Harry was still a bit unsure about his situation, but he had to admit that this was the best day he had ever had. Arwen was sitting in a chair by his bed, and Elrond, or rather his father? Foster father? No _Adar,_ he would call the man _Adar_, sat on his bed and told him stories about the city of the elves. For the first time since he could remember Harry felt safe and cared for. The way his two companions looked at him, left no doubt in his mind that they did care, and it was a wonderful feeling.

Harry raised his hand to cover a yawn, when he noticed that the scar that usually covered the back of his right hand, from the time he had spilled boiling water over it while cooking for his relative, was gone. In fact there was no trace of it at all. He pushed up his sleeves and looked at his arm which had also lost any trace of a scar. Elrond looked down at Harry and hid a smile at his new son's confused look. Then he told him that he had removed all of his scars, but the one on his forehead. When he told Harry that this was done so he would be able to move on and not always be reminded of his past, the child hugged him tightly as if afraid that he would leave, and started sobbing. Harry cried himself to sleep that night, and while he had done that many nights this was the first time someone was holding, rubbing his back and comforting him. It was also the first time he didn't cry because he was in pain, or felt hopeless and helpless. This time he cried because he needed to get it out. This time it was a healing experience. And best of all, it was a bonding experience between himself and his new _Adar. _

The last thought Harry had before he succumbed to sleep, was that he would like this new place, and his new family.


	3. Of ceremonies and family

Author: Tamiamus

Rating: FR-16

Beta: Tals

Summary: **When Harry Potter is six he is whisked away to Rivendell by a burst of accidental magic. How will growing up as Lord Elrond's foster son change his time at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry?**

**Disclaimer:** _Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Lord of the Rings is owned by Tolkien and his estate. I only play with them for a while before giving them back unharmed. No money is being made from this._

"blah" talking.

'blah' thinking.

"_blah_" elven language.

Warnings: Child abuse, slash pairing **much** later in the story (Harry/Glorfindel).

A/N: Harry's elven name will be **Estel**; yes I know this is Aragorn's name, but I felt the name would fit Harry better, since it means '**Hope**' and that is how the wizarding world sees him. Harry has also gained new hope for his own future by coming to the elves and that is why I chose it. So for this fic, let's just pretend that Aragorn was called something else by the elves.

**For progress reports and news on this story please see my livejournal at:**

t a m i a m u s 1 . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m _( remove the spaces, of course)_

**CHAPTER THREE**

Harry had been with the elves ten days now, four of them out of bed after his injuries had healed.

This morning found him sitting in a corner of the library, almost hidden from view by the book cases and a tapestry hanging on the wall beside him. He was curled up in a patch of sunlight that had managed to penetrate the clouds and was halfway asleep when Elrond found him.

Elrond reached out a hand to gently shake him awake.

"_Harry, child, wake up it is time for your breakfast."_

Harry startled awake, flinching at the unexpected touch.

" No, I'm sorry, I didn't do it, please don't hit me, I sorry."

He babbled, trying to disappear into the wall behind him. His eyes were wide in fright, and his voice shook with fear.

Elrond frowned, the boy was more affected from his abuse than he had first realized, not that he had expected him to come out of it fully healed, inside and out, but he would have to be careful with his new son. Very careful and gentle if he wanted the boy to truly trust him and his own safety in this place. He had no idea what Harry had said, since his panicked words had come out in his own language instead of elvish. Then again, he barely needed to understand the words themselves to understand the meaning.

"_Child, please calm down, I mean you no harm, you are safe here. I promise you that none will harm you while you are in my care. Please believe me, you are safe."_

Elrond made sure to keep his voice low and even, and he slowly, gently reached out to the child. When his hand landed on the boy's shoulder, he felt it stiffen, but kept it there. After e few minutes Harry seemed to have calmed down a bit and Elrond slowly drew this child into an embrace, making sure to keep it lose enough for the boy to break it in case he wanted to. It would be best for the boy not to feel trapped by him or forced into anything. Harry had clearly had little control over his own life and even over what would happen to his own body in his previous home. He needed to feel in control of the situation to feel safe, that much was apparent to Elrond.

After a while the boy relaxed fully within the embrace, he even curled closer into Elrond, almost afraid to let go of him lest he suddenly disappear.

Such occurrences happened more often as the days went by, often at night when nightmares of Harry's relatives plagued his dreams and his screams would wake up Elrond who had taken residence in the neighboring room. Then Harry's new _Adar_ would come in and shake him awake, reassure him that he was not angry with being waken, and hold the child until he had stopped trembling.

This place was so different from Privet Drive No. 4 as he could possibly imagine, yet he still found himself wondering when the gentle words and kind encouragement from Elrond and Arwen would turn to yelling and beatings. He still flinched at unexpected noises and he was terrified of any unusual things happening around him. He had managed to hide most of the times he had had flowers suddenly blooming, or light suddenly appearing when it was too dark for him to see. Elrond and Arwen had both tried to reassure him and sometimes he believed them. The two elves knew that Harry's road to recovery would likely be a slow one, his physical wounds had healed, the scars been removed, but the ones on his soul were still raw and bleeding. He was getting better though, he knew more and more that he was safe here, he still forgot sometimes, but he was no longer afraid of waking up his _Adar _when he had nightmares and the nightmares themselves came less often now.

Harry was often found alone in the library reading, this was both because he loved to read but a small part of him still thought that being out of sight was safer.

Arwen had taken great pains in coaxing him out of the library every now and then, showing him the rest of the house he would now live in as a part of her family. And to Elrond's pleasure Arwen's gentle approach seemed to work; the boy was found exploring the house together with his daughter more often as the days passed and slowly but surely he had started smiling and even, hesitantly, asking questions when there was something he didn't understand. From the way he always looked ready to dart away whenever he did open his mouth to ask, it was clear that his previous caretakers had not approved of his questions at all. Elrond still couldn't fathom how anyone could punish a child for showing curiosity but he wowed that Harry would never again have be afraid of speaking out. Harry's progress into a normal child, feeling secure and wanted, was slow but steady, and every elf living in the 'Last Homely House' was pleased with the young boy's growing self confidence. In fact Harry had charmed them all; the servants working in the kitchen always made sure to leave him the best and sweetest fruits, and the linen on his bed always came freshly warmed by the fire. Harry himself seemed not to be aware that he was treated to the best the elves had to offer, nor was he aware of his own growing popularity.

Elrond had sent the three elves who had first found the child to Lothlorien in search of answers about his strange lightning bolt shaped scar. If anyone would know about it, or his new son's origins, it would be the Lady Galadriel who had access to a magical mirror that showed her the past, the future and the present. His twin sons had eagerly taken the chance to go to the 'Golden Forest' as the sons of man called Lady Galadriel's domain, both to get the answers they needed, but also for the chance to see their friends, Rumil and his twin Orophin again. As he knew his sons they would most likely take delight in driving the Lothlorien twins' elder brother, Haldir, insane with their pranks.

It had been more difficult to get Glorfindel to accompany them, the stubborn 'Balrog Slayer' wanted to stay and make sure that his future soul mate was healed of his injuries. Elrond however had insisted that this was more important, Harry injuries would heal with his help, and his mind would heal with the gentle help of his daughter and his own patience. While it had been some time since Lord Elrond had taken care of small children he had reared three of them himself and even though none of them were former victims of abuse he would do his utmost to ensure his new son's happiness. The answers he needed, both about the scar and his son's past would be important for his future, he could feel it in his very bones. And so Glorfindel had been persuaded to keep his two sons company, and more importantly, keep them out of the trouble they were so very good at finding.

It had been almost three months since Harry had come into Elrond's life in a burst of accidental magic and right now, the young boy was sitting inside the great hall with his _Adar_ drinking hot chocolate after having spent four hours outside playing with the snow. Elrond smiled at his son's excited story of how he had not only built a snow man but won his snow ball war against Arwen. Arwen too was smiling at her new brother's excitement while she was wringing her long black hair dry from all the snow that had been heaped upon it by a laughing and giggling Harry. When she looked at her brother now she could almost not believe that he was the same boy who had been so scared and timid just two and a half moths ago. Harry had not only become assured of his own place amongst them, he had also, shyly, started to show the two of them a bit of the magic that had so often gotten him into trouble in his former family.

She still remembered the first time the young boy had gathered both her and their father into his room, locked the door and blown out the candles. In the darkness that filled the room her little brother had held his hands up, almost like cupping something, and then he had been cupping something; a small ball of white light. The light had illuminated all their faces and both she and Elrond had made sure to praise him for it. That was the turning point in the healing of his spirit. From thereon Harry had stopped flinching altogether, he had walked the halls with a new certainty and he had no more doubt that his new family truly wanted him.

Harry had just finished his hot chocolate when Elrond carried the yawning child to bed.

"_Sleep well, my son, tomorrow your two brothers, Elladan and Elrohir will be coming back from Lothlorien and and in a week I will formally adopt you."_

Harry smiled tiredly at his _Adar's_ words. Even though he couldn't remember having seen his soon to be brothers for more than a few minutes before he fell unconscious the day he arrived in Imladris, both Elrond and Arwen had told him about them. The two twin brothers who always made jokes and pranked everyone in sight. Arwen had told him that they had both been asking about his health a lot before their father had sent them to Lothlorien to gain answers about his past and his scar.

He knew now that all elves had been horrified by his treatment by the Dursleys, and while he did not speak a lot about it to any others than Elrond and Arwen, the nature of his injuries had made the details of his former life clear to all. He had in his time in Imladris, as Rivendell was called by the elves, learnt that he was more than welcome, and he knew that his new brothers would welcome him into the family just as Arwen had done. He was looking forward to the formal ceremony that would truly make him part of the family, he would even be given an elven name.

The next morning Harry slowly came awake to the sounds of voices whispering unintelligible just above his bed. He frowned, since it was rather early and he was still somewhat tired from the long day he had yesterday. Playing in the snow for hours and running around the house to avoid Arwen's revenge for hurtling snow down her cloak was tiring, after all. After a few minutes of annoying whispering, Harry decided that the chances of the voices going away and him falling asleep again were quite slim and opened his eyes. The two faces above him were identical and with their similarity to Elrond he quickly decided that these must be the twins he had heard so much about.

"_Look, Elrohir, our little brother has finally woken up! It's about time too! Welcome to the family Harry, I am Elladan, your new brother, and this hideous creature beside me is your other brother Elrohir."_

Elladan grinned at Harry giggles and ducked when his brother took a playful swipe at his head. He was relieved when he saw the boy's condition, even though he knew how good a healer his _Adar _was, he had still worried. 'Valar, (gods) with as many injuries as the child had suffered before he came to Imladris, it had been a wonder that even Elrond's powers could heal the boy.'

Elrohir, too was pleased with the results of his _Adar's_ healing powers.

He remembered how helpless he had felt, carrying the thin, bleeding child to the 'Last Homely House'. The thought that they might have been too late had kept him up many nights. And the pure fury that someone could do something like that to an innocent child had only abated now, when he could see for himself that the boy would survive.

If he ever caught the ones responsible for his new brother's poor condition on his arrival in the forest, he would happily strike them down.

'That is, if I can get to them before Elladan, Elrond and Glorfindel. Mordor, even Arwen would show them no mercy if she ever finds them. For someone who looks so innocent, my sister can be scary when someone strikes at her family. Or if someone colors her hair green.'

Elrohir snickered to himself, he still remembered her screeching, which could be heard all trough the house, the morning she had woken up to find her long black tresses olive green. He and his brother had been forced to sleep outside for a month, fearing her revenge.

"_You shouldn't call your twin brother hideous, you look like mirror images to me. If he is ugly, then so are you."_

Harry smiled sweetly at Elladan, who called up a look of insulted pride upon his face, then smiled at him.

"_It is good to know that you will fit in with our family, young Harry, though I can't wait for you to gain an elven name when you are formally adopted, the one you carry now sounds odd to my ears."_

Elladan then took a hold of Harry's blankets and yanked them off the boy, now was not the time to lay in bed. Oh no, now was the time to make some mischief, and Harry's sweet innocent face would help them get away with it.

The boy grumbled, but got up and dressed anyway, clearly the two laughing elves would not let him go back to sleep when they had spent so much time getting him up. But Harry would make sure to wake them up before the sun even painted the slightest colors upon the eastern part of the world tomorrow. Then they'd see how much they liked being waken up before the crows. Harry smiled at the thought, if he asked Liria from the kitchen he could probably get a bucket of ice water to wake them with. Arwen had told him quite a few stories of the pranks they had afflicted her with, a bit of revenge on her behalf would not go amiss.

Elrond sat in his council the day after his twin sons and Glorfindel had arrived from Lothlorien. The twins had already met Harry again, and from the twin screams that had echoed in the house this morning, as well as Arwen's and Harry's satisfied smiles, he would fit right in with the family. Elrond had timed this meeting for just after breakfast and while Glorfindel was on time, as always, the twins came in five minutes too late, still toweling their wet hair. When Glorfindel raised his brow in question at their state, both twins grumbled something about young brothers, vengeful sisters and icy water. Elrond took a look at them and prudently decided that this was one thing he did not need to know about.

Elrond waited until his sons sat down at the table and looked over at Glorfindel.

"_What have you discovered from your trip to Lothlorien? Did Lady Galadriel see anything in her mirror of new my son?"_

Elrond truly hoped that they would have the answer, and he doubted that they would be empty handed. Harry's arrival had been too mystical for Galadriel to see nothing in the mirror. When he had asked his guards the day of Harry's arrival if they had seen the boy pass them on his way through the forest, the answer had been negative. Elrond knew that the beings that could pass by his guards unseen were few, even fewer now that Glorfindel trained them. For a young child, bleeding and half dead to do so, was unheard of. No, his new son had come to the forest some way other than by walking, and this made Elrond certain that Galadriel's mirror had not been unresponsive.

When the council doors opened to let out his sons and Glorfindel, Elrond could barely believe what he had been told. Oh, it had been nothing but the truth, Galadriel's mirror did not lie, but it was unexpected knowledge, to say the least.

His new son was as he had suspected one of the _Istari _(wizards), but he was not from this world, and even in his own world he was different. The child he had taken into his heart had once had loving parents. Parents he had lived with for a full season and almost a half, before his little family was torn apart by prophecy.

In Harry's world there had been a dark lord too, Lord Voldemort, and this lord had killed untold people simply because they opposed him. This Dark Lord had, much like Sauron, desired ultimate power, but he had also wished to rid Harry's world of all he deemed impure. The only ones he would allow the right to live were those from pure _Istari_ bloodlines.

Elrond had never before heard of something like that, oh there had certainly been some tension in the elven-dwarfen relationship, but to desire the complete annihilation of any other race than your own was unthinkable. What Galadriel had seen in her mirror was that the _Istari_ of Harry's world were a hidden minority, living in secret from the non-magical humans around them. A war had broken out many years before Harry's birth, between those who followed the Dark Lord and those who followed the light. Harry's own parents had fought Voldemort and because of their defiance towards him they were singled out in a prophecy and killed.

Elrond remembered Elladan's shiver as he had retold how Galadriel's voice had changed, deepened as she spoke the words of prophecy that had changed his new brother's life forever.

"**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..**

**born to those who have thrice defied him, **

**born as the seventh month dies...**

**And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, **

**but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...**

**And either must die at the hand of the other, **

**for neither can live while the other survives...**

**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord **

**will be born as the seventh month dies."**

Apparently Voldemort had come to Harry's family and killed them with green magic. Galadriel had told Glorfindel how she had heard Harry's mother plead for his live, willing to sacrifice her own in bargain. After the demise of his parents, their murderer had come to the small toddler, raising his wooden wand and yelled out the same foul curse that had ended their life, only this time the magic barely hit the toddler before it rebounced upon the caster, obliterating him.

Elrond had been pleased to hear this, but then Elrohir who had taken up the tale, had said that Galadriel had felt Voldemort's continued presence even after he loss his body. This, Elrond knew, together with the prophecy he had been told, could mean nothing else than Voldemort being able to come back to life somehow. And he knew that if that happened, Harry's life would be in danger.

All who were present in the council chambers frowned at the thought that Harry would not be spared from more danger in his life, he had already suffered so much, yet he would likely suffer more.

Glorfindel had been the one to tell Elrond of why Harry had been placed with the Dursleys. He had already heard much of them from his son, and had been furious that anyone would place such a young, helpless child with people so deliberately cruel. That it was done to protect him from Voldemort's followers through magical means meant little to him. Surely whoever placed him there would have thought to check up on him, apparently that was not the case.

Elrond did not want to believe that the only reason his poor son had been forced to suffer so at the hands of his blood relatives was simple carelessness. After the others had exited the chambers he quietly swore to himself that he would keep the child as safe as elvenly possible.

Harry might have to go back to his own world to train his magic at their school and fulfill his part of the prophecy, according to Galadriel, but Elrond would make sure that he was as ready as possible; that he would know he was not alone, that he always had someone to turn to.

Elrond sighed, it would be his task to tell his youngest son of this, and not a task he relished. At least his son would know that once upon a time he had had parents who loved him enough to die for him, that they were not the drunken fools the Dursleys had made them out to be. Maybe that would be enough to soften the blow.

There were days when Elrond, Lord of the elven realm of Imladris felt every one of his many years. This was one of them.

Harry was in his room playing with a wooden horse when Elrond found him later that day.

"_Harry I need to talk to you. Do you remember that I told you I sent the twins and Glorfindel to Lothlorien shortly after you came here? As you know they have returned and Lady Galadriel has seen your past in the mirror. She discovered quite a few things that you need to know."_

Lord Elrond beckoned Harry to sit with him on the bed and started to tell him what he had discovered about his world, the prophecy and the sacrifice of Harry's parents. When he had finished his tale the boy was silent for a while, a thoughtful look on his face.

"_I know it is much to take in Harry. Remember that no matter what happens you are not alone, you have the support of your family."_

Harry gave his father a weak smile, he had always dreamt that his parents loved him, though he had almost given up on that dream under the insistence of the Dursleys that they were nothing but drunken fools. To learn that he had been loved by them, so much that they had given up their lives to protect him was bittersweet at best. The rest of the tale, with evil wizards and prophecies sounded almost too strange to be believed. But he did believe it, not only because Elrond would never lie to him, but because he remembered green light and a high pitched, cruel laughter. Still, it felt too big for him, too big for a six year old boy, who could barely survive the wrath of his former relatives, to be expected to save a whole world.

He didn't realize he was trembling before his father embraced him, rubbing his back and murmuring soothingly to him.

"_Hush child, it will be all right, you are not alone, never again. We will face your future together. I am here for you, remember that always my child."_

Harry didn't know how long Elrond held him like that, he only knew that he must have fallen asleep because when he woke up his _Adar_ was sitting in the chair by his bed reading a report from Erestor.

He smiled at his father, the truth he had learned yesterday was still too big for him, and scary, but just as Elrond had said, he would be all right. He was not alone, he would never be alone again. That gave him hope for his future. With his new family he could face even a prophecy and a Dark Lord, of that he was certain. Yes, it would be all right.

The day of Harry's formal joining with his new family was upon him. He smiled as he got dressed in his finest outfit. The one Arwen had spent two months making for him, ever since she knew that he would become a member of her family. The thought that she had gone through so much trouble for him, starting two months ago when he had still been so unsure of his place here, made him happy in a way he had never known before coming to Imladris.

The clothes consisted of a pair of black breeches, a green tunic and white robes. Harry looked at himself in the mirror, twirling around a couple of times just to see the garment flare out around him. When Glorfindel came into his room to bring him to the glade where the joining ceremony would be held, he flushed at being caught playing with his new robes. Glorfindel didn't seem to mind though,and smiled at him asking him if he was ready to go to his new family. Harry grinned at him and answered that yes, he was ready to join his family. This too was a part of the ritual. The child who was to join a new family could not be brought to the ceremony grounds by a member of said family, but had to be brought there of his own free will by someone not related to either new or old family. Harry had spent many days practicing the correct words with Erestor, Elrond's councilor and remembered them all flawlessly. He took the hand Glorfindel offered him and followed him to the glade in silence. After Glorfindel had escorted Harry to the glade he left the boy with his soon to be family and the waiting Erestor at the ceremonial grounds.

At the ceremony grounds all snow had been swept away from the ground in a large circle. Around the circle was a ring of water maybe a foot wide and three inches deep. This had been prepared just yesterday to keep the water in the ring from freezing in the cold weather. Within this circle was his new family. Elrond stood flanked by Arwen on one side and Elladan and Elrohir on the other, all four of them where wearing white robes over their finest clothes, just like himself. For this ceremony Erestor would be the officiate; he stood outside the circle wearing green robes, facing in Harry's direction.

The ritual itself was quite simple, Harry would walk once around the circle while Erestor asked him if he consented to join his life with the family inside the circle. After Harry gave the positive answer he would walk around the circle again, but in the different direction while Erestor questioned his new family's will to join Harry's life with their own. After another positive reply Harry would cross the ring of water making sure to stand in it with his bare feet for a few seconds. The water was dreadfully cold but it signified him dissolving the bonds to his former family before joining the new one. The next part of the ceremony consisted of his new family members confirming his new place among them. First he went to Elrond who acknowledge him as his son, then to Arwen, his oldest sister, thereafter the twins. When all had acknowledged him as either son or brother they stepped out of the circle leaving Harry alone within.

The last part of the ceremony would consist of his family calling their son or brother to them. It would also bestow on Harry a new, elven name. Harry himself had no idea what name he would get, since it was his family's duty to name him. Elrond spoke first.

" _Come forth Estel, I name you Hope for the way you have found us. I name you Hope for the future, the future of our family and of yourself. Come forth Estel, I name you my son."_

Elrond smiled at him from outside the circle.

"_Come forth Estel, I name you my brother."_

Arwen's voice was steady as she spoke the words that would bring her a new brother.

"_Come forth Estel, I name you my brother."_

Elladan smiled, his words infused with a seriousness that was normally absent in his voice.

"_Come forth Estel, I name you my brother."_

Elrohir too, seemed formal and serious, his eyes locked on Harry's, no Estel's form.

With those words Estel stepped out of the circle, careful not to touch the water this time, and joined his family.


	4. Of Life and Birthdays

Author: Tamiamus

Rating: FR-16

Beta: Tals

**Disclaimer:** _Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. Lord of the Rings is owned by Tolkien and his estate. I only play with them for a while before giving them back unharmed. No money is being made from this._

"blah" talking.

'blah' thinking.

"_blah_" elven language.

Warnings: Child abuse, slash pairing **much** later in the story (Harry/Glorfindel).

**A/N:** Harry's elven name will be **Estel**; yes I know this is Aragorn's name, but I felt the name would fit Harry better, since it means '**Hope**' and that is how the wizarding world sees him. Harry has also gained new hope for his own future by coming to the elves and that is why I chose it. So for this fic, let's just pretend that Aragorn was called something else by the elves.

**For progress reports and news on this story please see my livejournal at:**

t a m i a m u s 1 . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m _( remove the spaces, of course)_

**CHAPTER FOUR**

It had been a week since Harry's joining ceremony and he had been asked by his _Adar_ to start classes with Erestor and Glorfindel.

Erestor would be teaching him math as well as writing, history and geography.

Harry could already read since that had been the one thing the Dursleys couldn't take away from him. Yes, they could take his books but once he had read something, the knowledge was his and stayed his.

This alone had been the reason why he had thought himself to read with such dedication. He had learned it from he was four by listening and spying on his cousin when Petunia had thought him. Now, as a six year old he was able to read competently though there were still words that gave him problems, long words or those not normally used in everyday situations were difficult for him and Erestor would help him refine this skill as well.

Glorfindel would take care of his physical education. Since he was still young this would mostly consist of swimming lessons, basic self defense skills and learning how to fight with a staff. Harry knew that when he grew older he would be expected to learn archery as well as sword fighting since these skills were invaluable here in Arda.

He had just entered the office of Erestor where he would have two hour lessons everyday for the first year. When he turned seven in summer the classes would be 4 hours long and he would also be thought about astrology and biology. His father had also told him that if he was interested later he would be taught how to play an instrument by the minstrel Lindir; Harry didn't know whether or not he would want that, but it was nice to know he had the option, in any case he would at some point be taught how to dance.

"_Ah, Estel come in. We will begin today's lesson with geography, If you will take a seat I will get the maps out so we can begin."_

Erestor took out a map of Arda painted on a piece of parchment large enough to cover his whole desk. Harry, who had thought geography would only deal with locations and landmarks was astonished when he was also told how a volcano actually worked and why certain races inhabited the different regions of the world. There was clearly more to geography than he had first assumed.

After maybe 45 minutes of looking at maps and learning of the different forces of nature that had shaped the world into what it was today, Erestor gave him a book and told him to write down what he dictated.

Two hours after Harry had entered the office he left for lunch. As he ate he told his sister about the lesson which he had liked quite a bit. It was certainly different from being with the Dursleys where he was never allowed to ask a question and no one really talked to him at all. He wondered whether or not he would have been allowed to go to school if he had stayed. Surely not; then the teachers might have suspected the Dursleys of abuse since he was always injured. The only thing he wasn't sure about in the class was writing, not because he didn't like it but because he had to use a quill. At first when Erestor had given it to him he had thought it was brilliant, but he soon found out that it was very difficult to handle. His writing had never been orderly, but with the quill it looked like he was drunk, the letters jumping all over the parchments, blurring into each other, decorated with huge blots of ink. Erestor had told him it would become easier with practice and Harry hoped he was right, as it was right now, he could barely read his own writing.

After lunch Harry went outside to meet Glorfindel. He would only spend one hour with him a day the first year since his _Adar _wanted to make sure that Harry had time to be a child as well. Today he would learn how to fall without hurting himself. Sadly enough this was not a new skill for him, he had instinctively tried to do so many times when he had been pushed down the stairs by his former relatives. But since the weather was much too cold for Glorfindel to take him to the river and teach him how to swim, they would have to focus on defense until summer came.

"_Estel, before we begin with the lesson you should take a run, maybe to the river and back? That you your muscles are warmed up and you won't injure yourself."_

Harry had no idea falling properly was that technical; first he had to start kneeling, and let him self fall forwards. Then, before he hit the ground he had to slap his palms and underarms against the ground to take the brunt of the fall. But it did work, now he only had sore arms and palms. After he had repeated the fall about 25 times Glorfindel finally decided that he had the basics down for now.

"_Well done Estel, now we will move unto falling when standing, since there are more directions in which you can fall, you must respond differently to each fall. Let me show you_"

Harry spend the next fifteen minutes watching Glorfindel falling over and over again, of course he never actually stayed down but somehow managed to roll back unto his feet every time whether he fell backwards or forwards or to the side. How he managed to keep enough breath to tell Harry precisely whet he did as he fell was a mystery to Harry, who had felt like he run a marathon after his warm up and the 25 falls. Harry personally thought it was beyond brilliant and hoped that he would be able to do the same thing one day. That way if he ever tripped over anything he could just roll down over his shoulder, follow the motion through and roll back on his feet.

As the days became longer and brighter Harry was often seen in the company of his elder brothers, the twins Elladan and Elrohir. The three of them were often found either planning a prank or perpetrating one. Their favorite victims were Erestor who would find himself having nothing to wear but pink cloaks or Lindir whose instruments would suddenly be out of tune. Arwen was kept out of this since her wrath was formidable and Harry refused to help the twins prank her. Elrond too would sometimes be included in their list of victims. Once the three of them had managed to sneak some sleeping powder into his wine and placed his bed on top of the roof together with all his furniture. Since Elrond could not prove who had been behind the prank he could not punish them outright. In stead he upped Harry's lessons with Glorfindel to 5 hours a day for the next week, leaving the boy completely exhausted while the two twins were sent to patrol the borders of Imladris for a month.

While Harry had been pleased at learning more from Glorfindel even he thought that five hours was a bit much. He liked learning how to fight and had moved on to battle staffs already but while it was exciting it was also very hard and he was always sore and tired when the day was over.

The day after his punishment was over he went from Erestor's lesson to the courtyard where Glorfindel was waiting for him.

"_Estel, how was your lessons today? No, leave the staff, we will be riding today. You need to learn it well if you ever wish to travel much here in Arda, since your only choice is either on foot or on horseback. Come with me to the stables, and do not worry we will find a calm horse for your first few lessons."_

Harry grinned, he had never ridden before, in fact, before his arrival in Imladris he had never even seen a horse except on television. The horse Glorfindel brought him was a brown pony by the name of Beren. Beren was as tall over the back as Harry was high but he seemed like a very calm horse and with Glorfindel there, Harry doubted that he would get thrown off or hurt. Harry smiled as Glorfindel seated him on the pony and told him how to use his legs to tell Beren which direction he should take.

Riding was fun but it took quite some time for Harry to get used to the motions of the pony. He remembered seeing a cowboy movie once when his relatives had forgotten to turn off the TV and he had been left alone to clean up the living room. After seeing that movie, well part of it anyway, he had always wanted to ride a horse. Now he finally had the chance. He soon discovered that the pony seemed much taller once he was on it, that the movements of it made him feel vaguely as if he would topple over and fall off any second now and that riding was more tiring than he had imagined. After one hour where he had mostly learned how to balance on and direct the pony as well as trying the different paces of it, he found that he liked riding quite a bit, even if it wasn't as easy as it looked like on TV.

"_Estel, here let me get you down, it is soon time for dinner and you should take a bath before then."_

Glorfindel reached up to bring his young charge off the horse and back on the ground again. He had to hide a grin when Harry's legs refused to bear his weight the moment they touched the ground. After Harry had gotten his legs used to being on the ground and supporting him again he sent a mild glare in Glorfindel's direction before running back to the 'Last Homely House' and a bath.

Glorfindel shook his head, apparently he needed to work on hiding his grin better if that glare was anything to go by. He was glad to see that the young boy seemed to be a natural when it came to riding, he had instinctively known how to move with the horse instead of against it.

Harry had grown into a happy and more importantly healthy little boy in the eight months he had spent with the elves. By now it was summer and he had learned how to swim in the river. It would be his seventh birthday in only a week and he was looking forward to spending it with people who loved him and cared for him. Today he was riding in the forest alongside Glorfindel who had become his favorite teacher. Erestor was nice enough but in Harry's mind he was much too serious and now that he was no longer forced to stay inside and be quiet like at Privet Drive No. 4, he found that he loved being outside riding, swimming or learning how to defend himself. He was getting quite decent at riding and had already progressed to riding on a horse twice the size of Beren.

He was also happy to note that he had finally gained some, in his view, much needed height. The malnutrition he had suffered at the hands of his former relatives had made him look much younger and smaller than six years and now, with the help of real food and Elrond's nutrition potions he had grown two and half inches in the last eight months. He would never be as tall as the elves around him but according to his _Adar_ he would probably reach a height of six feet and one or two inches when he was fully grown. Had he been left in the care of the Dursley he would either not have survived to reach adulthood or in the case of continued survival, he would have reached a height of maybe five feet and four inches, if he was lucky.

Harry had changed a lot in his times with the elves, in the stead of a scrawny, emancipated, deathly pale boy, had come a healthy, happy, suntanned and active child with raven hair that barely brushed his shoulders, mischievous green eyes and a ready smile.

"_Glorfindel, when do you think I can begin learning archery? Do you think I might be old enough for it after my birthday? Arwen said she would make me a bow when I start learning how to use it."_

He hoped he would be old enough for it soon he couldn't wait to learn it. Especially since his father had corrected his eyesight after he had started to run into everything and having trouble reading. He really wanted to learn it, not so he could hunt, he felt rather sorry for the rabbits. He liked eating them alright, but he didn't think he could shoot one, they were just too cuddly and cute. He wanted to learn it because he thought it was brilliant and it looked, 'What was that word Dudley always used, oh right, cool, it looked cool.'

"_I will have to ask your father, but I think you are ready to learn it by now, Estel."_

Glorfindel certainly hoped Lord Elrond would agree, Estel had been badgering him about it constantly for the last two months after he saw Elladan and Elrohir having an archery competition.

The day of Harry's birthday dawned bright and warm. By the looks of the sky it would be a hot day with hardly a cloud in sight. Luckily the wind had picked up a bit leaving a refreshing breeze to blow through the leaves of the forest surrounding Imladris. The part itself would be held outside under an open sky since the weather was so good. Arwen had up till the birthday itself spent some time listening to Estel's explanation of his cousins birthday parties since Estel's party would be a blend of both elven and human traditions. For instance the customary cake would be made to resemble what Estel remembered from his own world while they would dance and sing long into the night as was customary for most elven celebrations.

Harry awakened much later than usual, since he had no lessons today and was allowed to sleep in. when he finally did wake it was because of the rays of sun streaming in from his windows brightening the whole room. As he stretched a look at the sky told him it was probably somewhere around eleven in the morning. Telling the time from the position of the sun was something he had been taught by Glorfindel just three weeks ago and it could, with some practice, be very accurate.

After a bath Harry got dressed a wandered down the stair to the small living room where he would have breakfast with just his family. This was a human tradition his family had decided to adopt, giving them all a chance to congratulate him and give their gifts in private. Later in the afternoon there would be a party with every elf in Imladris invited.

When Harry came down all of his family was already in the room, waiting for him.

"_Good morning my son, congratulations on your begetting day. I hope you are hungry, Arwen insisted on making the cake herself."_

Elrond smiled at his son and motioned him over to the table which was filled with all of Estel's favorite foods as well as a chocolate cake which Arwen had not only made but decorated with the writing of 'Happy Birthday Estel' in green tinted glaze. Harry grinned at the cake; it was perfect, he still couldn't believe that he would really have a birthday party, it was his first. The Dursleys had always kept him locked away during festive times and they had certainly never acknowledged his birthday. He smiled when his sister and brothers came over to him, hugged him and whispered their good wishes for him on this day. He was touched when they all told him how happy they were that he had become a part of the family, the twins adding their gratefulness for the fact that his innocent looks had gotten them off the hook on quite a few pranks as well.

As Harry sat down and ate breakfast with his his family he thought to himself how very lucky he had been to come here. If almost dying at the hands of his relatives was the price for gaining a family like this he would gladly have payed it a thousand times over.

He had received a bow from his _Adar,_ as well as permission to have Glorfindel teach him archery. From his sister he received new clothes since he constantly grew out of his old ones. For a boy who had been roughly the same size for the past two or three years due to malnutrition it was a heady experience to finally get bigger. From the twins he had received toys and a finely carved chess set.

After the meal the twins taught him how to play chess, though from the grin on his father's face and Arwen's smothered giggles he was fairly certain that they were teaching him their own improved rules of the game. After a few hours of family time they wandered out into the gardens where benches and tables filled with food were placed around a large bonfire. Lindir and some other elves Harry didn't know by name, were playing their instruments and quite a few smiling and laughing elves were gathered by the tables as well as walking around the garden. Some were dancing to Lindir's music while others ate or talked among themselves. Harry was congratulated by them as well, every elf in the garden finding the time to spend a few minutes with him, talking about his presents and inquiring as to how he liked Imladris.

"_Estel, come dance with me. This is your party, you should not spend it all eating, the food will be here after the dance."_

A Pretty elf girl who had often accompanied Harry in his raids to the kitchens came over to him and dragged him out towards the other dancers. Her name was Minya and she looked to be 12 years old. Her mother worked in the kitchens and Harry had met the lively girl there, while hiding from Arwen after a prank he and the twins had pulled on her. Harry had learned in his months with the elves that they loved to dance and that even though he couldn't dance it wouldn't matter to them. No one would laugh at his attempts, they would simply be happy that he was having fun.

Six hours later, after Arwen had taken him out to dance as well as a few others who had insisted on a dance since it was his party, Harry was completely knackered. The sun had set some hours ago and the gardens were illuminated by the bonfires and torches, elves were still dancing or sitting close together and enjoying the summer night all over the grounds. Harry however could barely keep his eyes open anymore and found himself yawning more often than not. After this had continued for half an hour his father went over to him and carried him to bed. Harry figured this was probably a good idea, he was so tired he doubted he could stand, let alone walk anywhere. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the mattress, the last thing he felt being his father kissing his forehead, above the scar and wishing him a good night.


End file.
